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Up For Grabs

Staff photo by BOB EAST III

Nature Coast’s Alyssa Joens tries a jump shot over Wiregrass Ranch’s Shawna Ballish during a Dec. 19 game.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: February 1, 2009

When the Class 4A, District 8 Tournament takes place this week at Nature Coast Technical, the host Lady Sharks will find themselves in the unaccustomed position of third seed.

Nature Coast, the two-time defending 4A-8 champion, has never gone into a district tournament seeded any lower than second. As a result, the Lady Sharks have never failed to advance to regionals.

But this time around, Nature Coast faces perhaps the toughest challenge to extending that five-year state playoff streak.

Yet it would hardly serve as a surprise if the 18-6 Lady Sharks not only make it out of this nine-team tournament, but once again hold up the first-place trophy following Saturday night's final.

Wiregrass Ranch (20-4) and Gulf (21-4) are the top two seeds, and based on the results of the regular season, any of the top three teams in this tournament have a realistic shot to win it.

"It'll be very competitive," Nature Coast Head Coach Travis Lamle said. "With Gulf, Wiregrass, ourself, Pasco has played people tough recently, same with Hernando.

"I think it'll be more competitive than it's ever been. It's great for the district and basketball in general."

4A-8 breakdown

The tournament begins Monday night with eighth-seeded Springstead (6-15) facing ninth-seeded Sunlake at 7 p.m.

The Lady Eagles won both regular-season meetings. The winner will advance to Tuesday's quarterfinal versus Wiregrass Ranch at 7:30 p.m. Also Tuesday, Gulf faces seventh-seeded Zephyrhills at 5:30 p.m.

On Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., fourth-seeded Hernando (9-13) faces fifth-seed Pasco, a team the Lady Leopards defeated twice. At 7:30 p.m., Nature Coast squares off with sixth-seeded Hudson.

The semifinal round takes place Friday night and the championship game Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The odds heavily favor the top three seeds advancing, considering Wiregrass Ranch, Gulf and Nature Coast only lost to one another in district play.

Gulf, the district's preseason favorite, seems to have the most momentum, having defeated Wiregrass Ranch on Jan. 15 (46-41) and Nature Coast five days later (52-41).

The Lady Buccaneers had lost to both those clubs on the road earlier in the season, 45-43 to Wiregrass Ranch and 51-40 to Nature Coast.

"We've made a bigger commitment on the defensive end," Gulf Head Coach Mike Quarto said. "Our goal is trying to keep everybody in 40s.

"I think we've established where our strengths are and we're trying to minimize our weaknesses."

Point guard Nicole Adams (20.6 points, 4.3 assists, 3.0 steals per game) and center Kianna Mills (14.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game) are the two Lady Bucs on everybody's radar.

"If we play man on Nicole she kills us off the dribble," Lamle said. "The first time (10 points) we held Kianna in check. The second time (21 points) she was just an animal. They pose some serious problems for us."

Assuming they make it past their first round match-ups, Gulf and Nature Coast will tangle in the semifinals for a spot in the final and a regional berth.

"They've got two four-year starting varsity lettermen in Shareka Maner and Crystal Anthony," Quarto said of Nature Coast. "Maner is probably the best athlete in the North Suncoast on the girls' basketball side. If we can contain those two, I feel we've got a great chance to win."

Of course the Lady Sharks will hold the home-court advantage, which Quarto admitted would provide an even tougher challenge for his team.

Nature Coast has a 7-1 record in its own gym, though the loss came to Wiregrass Ranch.

However, in that one on Dec. 19, the Lady Bulls rallied from an eight-point third-quarter deficit following a controversial intentional foul called on Maner and a subsequent technical foul on Nature Coast assistant coach Kelly Joyner.

"Love it," Lamle said of the home court. "It makes life easy. There's no travel involved. It does make practice more difficult, but we play in front of our home crowd. I think we have a pretty decent home-court advantage."

But what about top-seeded Wiregrass Ranch, who also posted a 62-57 home win over the Lady Sharks back in November?

Both Lamle and Quarto agreed, with the Lady Bulls it comes down to their balance and ability to score in transition.

"They just play so hard and they're so well-coached," Lamle said. "I don't think they have a superstar but they've got a group of really good kids playing together."

"…Against Wiregrass if we can get open shots against their zone, maybe get some of their kids in foul trouble, contain them in transition, I think we'll be all right."

The Lady Bulls have only one double-figure scorer in Regan Knapik, who averages over 11 points per game. However, Julie Gould, Kelly McCaffrey and Kayla DeLoach all average over 7 points per contest.

Sporting a young roster with only two seniors, the third-year team finds itself in the position of the hunted for the first time. Though as the top seed Wiregrass Ranch has what on paper is the easier path to the final.

"These girls have had a lot of adversity through three years," Wiregrass Ranch Head Coach Greg Finkel said. "These girls have been very competitive for three years. Even the first year when we only won six games but we were getting better every single game.

"They've been through all kinds of adversity. Even this year after the first half when we had some big victories, people started saying this was the team to beat, they came at us even harder. Even then we still pulled out some wins. They're very confident."

One issue the Lady Bulls must deal with, Knapik has missed the past 2 1/2 weeks (including the Gulf loss) with a high ankle sprain and her status for the tournament remains cloudy.

"We have enough players that can score," Finkel said. "We've had a pretty deep bench all season. Instead of the fourth, fifth and sixth (player) picking it up, it's the seventh and eighth picking it up (without Knapik).

"…Defense is going to win the ball game. We constantly work on our defense. Defense always leads to victory, that's my philosophy straight across the board.

"We thrive off that. If we get some tips and steals we can go down on the other end and get easy baskets. If the girls come to play as they have in the past, if the defensive side is there, we'll be successful."

Chasing another shot

In the 1A-6 Tournament hosted by Ocala-Meadowbrook Academy, Hernando Christian Academy goes in as the second seed chasing a second-straight regional berth and another shot at the host and top-seeded Lady Mustangs.

The Lady Lions (14-6) went 8-2 in district play, losing twice to Meadowbrook (46-39, 51-34). The Lady Mustangs went a perfect 10-0 in 1A-6.

First, though, HCA awaits the winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal between third-seed Lecanto-Seven Rivers Christian and sixth-seed First Academy-Leesburg. The semifinal will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

"We played Seven Rivers twice, beat them twice but we didn't beat them bad (55-50, 39-25)," HCA Head Coach Trey Crawford said. "We've got to beat them to get to Meadowbrook. I think we're capable of beating Meadowbrook, we just haven't done it yet.

"…The coach's daughter (Kimberlee Thomas), she's a senior about 5'11" and they go how she goes. The whole key is we've got to do a little better offensively and we've got to keep her down to 13-14 points, not let her get 20-plus.

"She's a good athlete, but if we get after her we've got some girls that can frustrate her. We've just got to do it for the whole game."

Major change of plans

A week ago Central High (4-16) was in a good position heading into the 5A-7 Tournament at Wesley Chapel.

The Lady Bears had clinched the second seed, assuring they'd go straight to the semifinals of the five-team tournament, needing only one win to advance to regionals for the first time since 2003.

But early last week it was revealed that Central had to forfeit seven wins – including four in district play – for using an ineligible player.

As a result, the Lady Bears fell to the fifth seed and will play fourth-seeded River Ridge Wednesday at 7 p.m. The winner must then take on top-seeded Wesley Chapel in a semifinal Friday night at 7:45 p.m.

Central played Wesley Chapel close, losing 56-54, at home on Jan. 15. However, the Lady Wildcats are 21-2 on the season and went 8-0 in 5A-7.

AT A GLANCE

WHAT - Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 4A, District 8 Girls Basketball Tournament.
WHO - Nine-team, single-elimination format including: defending champion Nature Coast, defending runner-up Gulf, Hudson, Dade City-Pasco, Springstead, Hernando, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel-Wiregrass Ranch and Land O' Lakes-Sunlake.
WHERE - Nature Coast Technical gym.
WHEN - Monday, Feb. 2, through Saturday, Feb. 7.
AT STAKE - Top two teams advance to Thursday, Feb. 12's Class 4A, Region II quarterfinals.

WHAT - Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 5A, District 7 Girls Basketball Tournament.
WHO - Five-team, single-elimination format including: defending champion Wesley Chapel, defending runner-up Land O' Lakes, New Port Richey-River Ridge, NPR-Ridgewood and Central.
WHERE - Wesley Chapel High gym.
WHEN - Wednesday, Feb. 4, through Saturday, Feb. 7.
AT STAKE - Top two teams advance to Thursday, Feb. 12's Class 5A, Region II quarterfinals.

WHAT - Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 1A, District 6 Girls Basketball Tournament.
WHO - Six-team, single-elimination format including: defending champion Ocala-St. John Lutheran, defending runner-up Hernando Christian Academy, Cedar Key, First Academy-Leesburg, Ocala-Meadowbrook Academy and Lecanto-Seven Rivers Christian.
WHERE - Meadowbrook Academy gym.
WHEN - Tuesday, Feb. 3, through Saturday, Feb. 7.
AT STAKE - Top two teams advance to Thursday, Feb. 12's Class 1A, Region II quarterfinals.

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at 352-544-5288 or cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com.

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